Improvement in rock-drills



UNITEDv STATES F-FICEa ATENT PETER sWEENEiL 0E NEW YOEKQNLY., AssLeNoR VTo JOHN J. ELANNAGAN, or` JERSEYv oITY, N. J., AND JosIAH .oAKEs 0E New YoEKeITY, N. Y.

aMPRovEM ENT VIN RoeKf-EWLLS.

l Specification forming part of LettersPaten-t N0. 51,902, dated January 2, 1866.'

. No. 383 East Ninth street, in thecity, county,

and State of NewYork, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Rock-Boring Machine;

l and AI do hereby declare that the followin g is 'a full, clear, and exact description'thereof,

- which will enable others vskilled in the art to ln'ake and use-the same, refcrencebeing had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of this invention, the lille a: fr, Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section ofthe same, taken in the plane indicated by the lille y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the same.v Fig. etis a detached side elevation of the drill, detached, in a largerl scale than the previous figures. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the Same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention consists` in a drill composed of a number of scalloped cutting-wheels, which are arranged in a common head on axles pass ing through wheels, partially at right anglesand partially in oblique directions, in such a manner that by giving to the head a rapid rotary motion the wheels eut into the ground or rock anda clean hole is produced. The dirt or dust produced by the operation of the cutting-wheels at the bottom of the hole is raised by the action of a spiral ange secured to the outside of lthe drill-rod, and said rod is guided by a series of friction-rollers arranged in suitable heads secured to the drill-rod. The drill-rod is hollow, and it connects with a hose through which a current of steam or water can be introduced in such a manner that the discharge of the dirt and dustfrom the bottom of the hole is facilitated. Said drill-rod is suspended from a cross-head which moves up and down in suitable guides, and to which a rising and falling motion can be imparted by means of two screw-spindles, which revolve between suitable stationary bearings, and to which motion is imparted by bevel-gears or any other desirable mechanism. By imparting to these spindles a slow rotary motion the requisite feed of the drill is effected.

Arepresents a frame, made of wood or any l' othersuita'ble material, of sufficient height for theoccasion.' Saidframe maybe madeslightly tapering, asshown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, and it is provided with three sets of cross-bars, a b e, whichserve the double purpose of strengthening the frame and also of supporting-the mechanism for operating the drill. The top cross-bars,a,support the bedplate B, from which'rise tworpillow-blocks, C, which form the'bearings forthe shaft D'. On

-this shaft are mounted two bevel-wheels, d d', n

a fast and loose pulley, e' c', and a worm-wheel, f. 'The bevel-wheels d d gear into corresponding bevel-wheels g g', mounted on the upper ends of screw-spindles E E', which pass through the upper plate, B, and are stopped in suitable sockets in thelower plate, F. These screw-spindles are tapped into a crosshead,

G, from the center of which the drill-rod H is suspended, and they are secured between the two plates B F in such a manner that they are allowed to turn freely, but not permitted to move in a longitudinal direction. By imparting to theshaft D a rotary motion the cross-head Gr is caused to travel up and down,

and the drill-rod is raiscdor lowered. The

ends of the cross-head extend between upright guides l, which keep the same square while moving up and down by the action of the screw-spindles.

When it is desired to raise the drill the belt running on the pulleys e e is thrown on the fast pulley, and thereby a quick rotary motion is imparted to the screw-sliindle in such a direction that the cross-head, together with the drill-rod, rise at a pretty quick rate.

For the purpose of feeding the drill down while drilling a worm, h, is employed, which is mounted on a shaft, 1'., that has its bearings on one end in a swivel-box,j, and on the opposite end in a vertically-adjustable plate, k. By depressing this plate the worln is thrown in gear with the worin-wheel f, and if a rotary motion is imparted to the shaft i the shaft D revolves slowly, and the desired feed-motion is produced. The shaft t' receives the desired motion by means of a belt which is stretched from a pulley, l, on the driving-shaftover a pulley, m, mounted on the endof the shaft t'. This pulley is secured to that end of said shaft next the swivel-box j, so that the belt does not interfere with the operation of throwing the worm 71, in` or out ot' gear with the wormwheelf.

The driving-shaft J has its bearlngs 1n two 'pillow-blocks, n, which are secured to the lower plate, F, and on its inner end is mounted a bevel-wheel, o, which gears in apinion, p, the hub of which is iitted into a box, q, secured to the edge of the plate F in such a manner that the pinion is free to revolve, but not allowed to move in a longitudinal direction. This pinion is bored out to receive the drill-rod H, and it is provided with a feather-key that fits into a groove in the rod, so that said rod is allowed to slide through the pinion in a longitudinal direction, but compelled to rotate with the same.

f K is the cutter-head, which is mounted on the extreme end of the drill-rod. This head is furnished with a series ot scalloped cutterwheels, L L', arranged in relation to each other and to the head, as clearly shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Some ot' these wheels are mounted on their axles square and others oblique, and by the oblique position of the center wheels, L, the core of the hole is reached and a clean hole is bored. The cutter-wheels may be made of cast-iron or any other suitable material, and the cutter-head is so constructed that the axles of the cutter-wheels can be readily removed, and that new cutterwheels can be introduced whenever it should become desirable.

In order to steady the drill-rod, as the same revolves in the hole, it is provided at suitable intervals with heads M, which are furnished with friction-rollers r, so that the same rotate in the hole with the least possible loss by friction.

ln practice the drill-rod will be made in a number of sections, and whenever the depth ot' the hole requires it a new section is added, until the requisite depth is reached.

A spira-l flange, s, rising from the exterior surface of the drill-rod, serves to carry up from the bottom ot' thehole the dirt and dust created by the action ofthe disk. This iiange is cast solid with the drill-rod, or it may be otherwise`secured to the sections of the same 5 and in practice it will be made of a steep pitch, so that the dirt is carried up as fast as it forms.

The discharge of the dirt and dust is still further facilitated by a current of compressed air, steam, or water forced down through the interior ot' the drill-rod. In order to eiect this purpose it is necessary to nake said drillrod hollow. The liquid or fluid is introduced through a hose, N, which connects with a nipple,t, secured to the upper end ot' the drillrod, as shown in Fig. 1 ot' the drawings. This nipple is held in position by a cap, u, which screws to the upper end of the drill-rod, and which is so arranged that it allows the nipple to remain stationary while the drill-rod revolves.

This apparatus may be used with advantage for boring wells, or for drilling holes in rock in a horizontal, oblique, or vertical direction; but by its peculiar construction it is particularly adapted for boring deep wells. The operation of boring can be continued without interruption, With the exception of the time required for adding new sections to the drill-rod as the depth of the hole increases. The dirt is discharged during the operation ofl boring, and a clean hole is obtained, into which the tubing can be introduced without diticulty.

This apparatus can also be used with adi vantage for submarine operations.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Adrillcomposcd of a number of scalloped wheels arranged in a common head, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Placing two ormore ofthe cutting-wheels in oblique positions toward their axles, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination and arrangement ofthe screw-spindles E E', cross-head G, bevel-cog wheels d d g g', and loose pulley ce', when employed in connection with the drill-rod H, in the manner and for the purpose explained.

4. The worm 71, mounted on the adjustable shaft t', in combination with the worm-wheel fand screw-spindles E E', cross-head G, and drill-rod H, constructed and operating substa-ntially as and for the purpose described.

l PETER SWEENEY.

-Witnessesz M. M. LIVINGSTON, U. L. TorLIFF. 

